Millennials are the largest generation in history, making up more than ¼ of the current US population. This demographic shift has posed significant challenges for the museum industry, as millennials have proved to be uninterested in visiting museums. “Adapt or die” may be the endgame for institutions that house collections of shared world culture and history.

While the implications of shifting visitor demographics are explored in depth here, institutions can begin accommodating and appealing to this younger generation by focusing on some key millennial characteristics.

• This generation is accustomed to instant gratification and interaction (smart phones, TV, internet, etc.). Passive, reflective experiences are boring to them. Make the experience personal, active, and interactive. Make your resources meaningful to your visitors. Museum Hack turns an otherwise passive visit into an interactive, fun experience.

• Make it social (in-real-life). Throw an after-hours party or a night-at-the-museum bash. Millennials are crowd-centric people. They are more comfortable as part of “the group” than as individual spectators. This generation craves experiences so make it both entertaining and educational. If there is no entertainment value, they are likely to look the other way.

• Make it social (online). Millennials maintain both an online personality and an IRL (in-real-life) persona. Connectivity matters A LOT. Offer and encourage social media as part of your programming. It can result in free advertising for your institution, making it a win-win.

• Support social causes. Millennials care about do-good institutions and values. They want to feel their money and time are going to something that matters. Collaborate with a charitable organization to throw an event and donate a % of your profits to their cause.

What steps have you or your organization taken to cater to the millennial audience?